Women's Rights: The reversal of Roe V. Wade
Roe V. Wade
In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court passed Roe V. Wade (a federal law) in efforts to protect the rights of women who opted to receive an abortion. This federal law was enacted to protect a woman's choice for an abortion during the first trimester, this decision prohibited states from regulating an abortion during the first trimester. The historical decision that was read by Justice Harry Blackmun read for the 7-2 majority of the United States Supreme Court.
Demonstrators for abortion rights marching on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington in 1970
The New York Times covers the history of Roe V. Wade. Getty Images.
The Impact
The reversal of Roe V. Wade nearly 50 years after the decision was made by the United States Supreme Court ends the protection of abortion on a federal level. The states now have the right to determine whether to allow abortion within the state or set a limit on when a woman can receive an abortion. The effects of the reversal can limit resources for women who live in states in which restrictions to abortion were limited even when the federal law was originally implemented. Many women who face challenges in affording abortions, live in states that limit their access to a legal abortion that may subject them to harm, and face emotional turmoil knowing they have to go through the process of keeping an unwanted pregnancy.
Texas is currently going through a legal battle with abortion pill companies that produce Mifepristone, used alongside Misoprostol. Mifepristone has been approved by the FDA since 2000, where numerous studies have been conducted proving the safety of the pill. Since the overturning of Roe V. Wade many pro-life activists within the states are limiting or trying to ban any forms of abortion. Though the case originated in Texas many states could follow suite based on political and religious ideology.
Organizations
There are many organizations that help women receive or afford abortions:
Planned Parenthood
National Black Women’s Reproductive Agenda
National Abortion Federation
National Latina Institution for Reproductive Justice
Guttmacher Institute
And many more
Resources
https://www.statista.com/chart/26955/reaction-to-roe-v-wade-overturned-by-state/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/abortion-protected-roe-wade-overturned/story?id=84474352
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4nHG4_Sqhw&themeRefresh=1
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18
https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/abortion-rights-organizations-to-donate-to/